Buddhism
...antee the safety of life of all, along with their possession and belongings. In order to successfully put this ‘value’ into practice, Buddhism advocates the practice of charity, compassion and the adoption of an enlightened outlook. It is to further foster this mode of behavior that Buddhism strongly emphasizes the importance of tolerance in all spheres. The Buddha himself quite often admonished his followers not to blindly hang on to personal views and beliefs, upholding them on the sole truth and denouncing the rest as false, for such an attitude is a primary source of conflict. Buddhist values are geared at developing a social ethic, which, would contribute to co-existence, mutual understanding, co-operation and total harmony. It is to achieve this goal that Buddhism very strongly upholds that mankind is of one species, and hence everyone should be charitable and liberal towards the others, be pleasant in speech to them, do what ever is beneficial to them and above all, be impartial and treat all equally. To strengthen impartiality, people are advised not to succumb to biases and prejudices not to give in to attachment, hatred, fear, confusion, but to rise above them and do what is righteous. This concept of righteousness, which is designated by the term ‘Dhamma’ in fact, provides the firm foundation for the whole of Buddhist culture. The general admonition is to do what is righteous (Dhamma) and avoid what is unrighteous (adhamma) and what is righteous is what is beneficial to one and others, as well. On this basis all that is beneficial to oneself and others is considered meritorious (Punna) and wholesome (Kusala) and their opposites as demeritorious (Papa) and unwholesome (akusala). As the Dhammapada (Stanza No.183) says: Not to do any evil, to cultivate good, to purify one’s mind – this is the Teaching of the Buddhas. It is on this basic teaching that Buddhist values are developed, lives are molded and social relations are cultivated. This explains why Buddhist culture attempts to nurture in the people a feeling for others, to mutually share with others moments of happiness and joy, to show respect to elders, to care for parents to attend on the sick and destitute, to honor and respect those who are deserving, to treat guests and visitors with friendliness and affection. It is these values that endeared people of this little island to the whole world. These values brought and taught by Buddhism have sunk deep into the ethos of the people. In spite of the turbulent situation seen on the surface, one would not fail to feel all these and experience how wonderful the Buddhist culture is, if one happens to visit this little paradise. Traditions – Theravada-Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana, Tibetan & Zen Buddhism: Theravada-Hinayana: Theravada is one of the two main divisions of Buddhism, the other being Mahayana. During the reign of Emperor Asoka in India the third Council was held in Pataliputta (308 BC). The existing heresies and deviations in the religion were considered and a book containing the teachings of the council was compiled. This book, the Kathavatthu, contained the "teachings of the Elders" or Theravada. These books were sent to different parts of India and Sri Lanka. Theravada also came to be known as Hinayana, the "Small Way" or "Smaller Vehicle", but this term is sometimes considered pejorative. Theravada is the more austere and unelaborated branch of Buddhism, following more closely to the earlier forms of Buddhist practice. The main goal of the Theravadin is the achievement of Arhat (one who has achieved nirvana). In Theravada philosophy each individual is responsible for attaining nirvana independently. Hence, the term 'smaller vehicle', as opposed to Mahayana, where the belief is monks can help all sentient beings achieve enlightenment. Historically, it has been dominant in Laos, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand (formerly Siam), and Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). Buddha Purnima is a major spring festival in Theravada Buddhism. Mahayana: Mahayana Buddhism is one of the two major divisions of Buddhism. The word "Mahayana" means the "Large Way" or "Greater Vehicle". Mahayana represented a popularizing development from the earlier and more austere Theravada or Hinayana school of Buddhism. Mahayana is the characteristic Buddhism of China, Japan, and Korea. Zen and the Vajrayana or Tantrayana Buddhism of Tibet is usually included in the Mahayana. Mahayana beliefs tend to be characterized by a greater acceptance of ideas about supernatural beings, realms, and powers, for example, a spectrum of Bodhisattvas, both human and godlike, which can assist believers. The large number of Bodhisattvas within Mahayana allows the religion to be extremely syncretic. For example, Taoism existed within China before the arrival of Buddhism, and metaphysically, there are important distinctions between the two. However, the structure of Mahayana Buddhism allows it to simply absorb Taoists deities as other bodhisattvas. Similarly, it is common for practitioners of Mahayana Buddhism to regard Confucius, Jesus Christ and Muhammad as simply other bodhisattvas allowing those religions to fit within the context of Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism, at its core, regards such ideas as artful means of bringing People closer to enlightenment. Bodhisattvas are the ultimate practitioners of this approach. They are masters who have attained enlightenment, but have refused it to remain in the physical plane - the realm of illusion (Maya). Their purpose is to guide other beings on their path to enlightenment. As an example, it is unlikely that a drunkard will, without assistance, achieve enlightenment. A Bodhisattva may appear to such a person as a fellow drunkard. Over time, the Bodhisattva will guide that person to a path that will lead them closer to Nirvana - often without the beneficiary ever realizing what has happened or why. Mahayana Buddhism is characterized by a tradition of statue representations of Buddhas. This tradition as an offshoot of the Greek statues that was carried into central Asia by Alexander the Great. Early representations of Buddhas are known as Greco-Buddhist statues and are clearly modeled after Greek statues. This tradition was later carried east into China and Japan. Vajrayana: The Diamond Vehicle' or 'The Adamantine Vehicle', Vajrayana consists of a collection of techniques for the practice of Mahayana Buddhism, along with the texts that expound those techniques (the Buddhist Tantras). Vajrayana is one name for the form of Buddhism currently associated with Tibet. There are four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism: Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and Geluk. All four schools identify themselves as belonging to the Mahayana or "Great Vehicle" tradition, and therefore are proponents of universal enlightenment. Historically the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism spread to China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, Mongolia and all the regions of Tibetan cultural sphere such as Bhutan and the entire Trans-Himalayan areas of India, and the republics of Thuva, Buriat and Kalmykya in the Russian federation. The techniques are characterized by: · The use of mantras, or short verbal formulae · Strong focus on the guru, or teacher · A highly-developed tradition of meditation, including concentration techniques such as the visualization of bodhisattvas. Practitioners are introduced to a collection of Vajrayana practices through a series of initiations. These can be divided into six categories: Three Outer Tantras: · Kriyayoga · Charyayoga · Yogatantra Three Inner Tantras: · Mahayoga · Anuyoga · Atiyoga - Dzogchen - Cha'an - Bön The practice of Atiyoga is divided into three classes: Mental (SemDe), Spatial (LongDe), and Esoteric Instructional (MenNgagDe). Vajrayana developed in Northern India from about 600CE (hard to say exactly when), based on the Madhyamika teachings of Nagarjuna, Asanga, Vasubhandu, Chandrakirti, Padmasambhava and other, later masters and scholars. Tibetan Buddhism: Tibetan Buddhism derives from the confluence of Buddhism and yoga which started to arrive in Tibet from India briefly around the late eighth century and then more steadily from the thirteenth century onwards. Indian Buddhism around that time had incorporated both Hindu yogic and tantric practices along with the classical teachings of the historical Buddha. It acknowledged that there were two paths to enlightenment (complete transcendence of identification with the personal ego ). One path was that taught in the sutras according to the historical teachings. The heart of sutra practice was based on morality, concentration, and wisdom (not identifying with the personal ego). The other path, which has become the cornerstone of Tibetan variations, was tantric. This practice blended the sutra teachings with techniques adapted from Hindu systems of yoga and tantra. Tantric systems transform the basic human passions of desire and a version for the purpose of spiritual development. Rather than denying such primal urges, tantra purifies them into wholesome and helpful forces. It is very much like trying to deal with a wild horse charging towards you. One way is denial: put up your hands and shout out, "stop, stop!" Probably you will be bowled over by the animal. Another, cleverer, approach is to step aside and then jump on its back as it charges past you. In such a case, you have a chance to start coaxing it to move in certain directions, and over time you may be able to direct it into a stable. Truthfully, one needs some skill in both self-control and acceptance if one is to be successful with tantric work.Tibetan Tantra ( also known as the Vajrayana ) incorporates the major aspects of both the Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhist teachings. It is basically an esoteric extension on these themes. Hinayana and Mahayana are two schools of Buddhist practice that have basically similar goals and techniques but somewhat differing philosophies. For instance, Theravadin Buddhism ( known for its Vipassana meditation ) is a Hinayana teaching and Zen Buddhism is a Mahayana teaching. Tantra itself has various schools, which can be grouped by the relative emphasis they place on working with exoteric and esoteric practices. Zen Buddhism: While many attempt to translate Zen Buddhism and explain it in words, it is often difficult to reach a sizable conclusion. Zen teachers strive to teach their disciples that some things cannot be explained in words, but can be learned only through direct personal experiences. Zen Buddhists believe that enlightenment cannot be achieved through words, for words are mainly a logical description of some thing, and deal with no part of the true nature of the universe. Zen Buddhism is based on a single idea: all humans have a Buddha nature inside them and to realize this nature all a human being has to do is search his or her inner self. The key to Buddha hood in Zen is simply self-knowledge. The way to gain self-knowledge is through meditation (which is what the word "Zen" means). Now, "meditation" is one of the cornerstones of Buddhism, where, under the name dhyana , it forms the final and most important aspect of gaining enlightenment. Meditation, which was a means to an end in other Buddhist schools, became the end in itself in Zen: meditation was Truth realized in action. As a result, Zen readily dispe...